Hoping to grab a share of the phablet-with-a-pen market dominated by Samsung’s Note series in recent years, LG has recently released the Q Stylus+ with a price tag of HK$3,198. With good specs, great audio, but slightly weak camera, this offering from LG is worth a look.

One of the highlights of the phone is its durable design. Armed with an IP68 dust and waterproof rating, it is designed to withstand immersion in water deeper than one metre for up to 30 minutes. LG also states the Q Stylus+ has passed US military toughness tests and complies with the MIL-STD-810 standard, so it should handle most wear-and-tear with ease.

Another strong selling point of the device is the multipurpose touch pen located in its own slot at the bottom. Once taken out, useful apps such as an instant memo pad or zoom-in feature can be used. If you want a phone with a stylus but don’t want to pay HK$6,000 or more for the Note, this is a viable choice.

The LG Q Stylus+ takes merely competent photos.

Photo: Owen Li

Unfortunately to reach this sub HK$3,500 mid-range price, some compromises had to be made and the camera was one of them. With only a single 16MP shooter on the back that lacks optical image stabilisation, photo quality depends greatly on how steady your hands are. Another weakness is the bokeh (or blurred background) effect, which struggles to sort out where to begin the blurring effect. A saving grace is that the lens angle is relatively wide, so you can fit in a lot of elements in your shots. The 8MP selfie camera is also merely competent.

Pictures taken with a Samsung C7 show decent colours.

Photo: Owen Li

Specs are par for the course at this price range, with a mid-range processor, 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. Things run smoothly on its huge 6.2 inch FHD+ screen, and the small bezels make media consumption quite immersive.

Another nice feature that deserves a special mention is the superior audio quality of the phone. Equipped with DTS:X Surround Sound technology, music playback is great with or without headphones and is definitely a reason to consider this phone

Overall, the LG Q Stylus+ is a solid upper mid-ranger that performs well in most areas. If you’re ok with a slightly mediocre camera, it’s a worthy alternative to the much more expensive upcoming Samsung Note 9.